Articles in this Issue

Editor's Notes

As I sit here in my office, out my window and a couple of blocks away I am watching a construction crew assemble the giant crane that will begin work on the new six-story, mixed-use building on the south bank of the Eau Claire River in downtown ...

The Rear End

rough patches in my relationship with the jolly ol’ elf

Well, Christmastime is here. It’s time for joy. It’s time for cheer. It’s time for sugar plum fairies to flit about your dreams, sprinkling your sleepy time thoughts with glitter and cinnamon. And of course, it’s time for Santa Claus. And speaking of Santa Claus, that cheery ol’ fat man always reminds me of a wayside bathroom nestled alongside Highway 53 between Eau Claire and Rice Lake – in the summertime.

Cover Art

learn more about this issue's cover art by Jason Stabenow

“‘Winter Reverence’ was captured in March 2013 at Lake View Cemetery just off of Cameron Street here in Eau Claire. We had just received a fresh dusting of snow that morning and I wanted to create an image of this church with its contrasting ..."

Music

Even though he just recently relocated to the Chippewa Valley, former Minneapolis singer/songwriter/producer Ian Alexy is already making waves in the community’s busy music scene. In tandem with The Plus, 208 S. Barstow St., he is ...

Hudson-born Sarah Lou Richards released a new country-pop album in November. After graduating from UW-Eau Claire, SLR moved the Nashville to grow her singer/songwriter career. She uses a diminutive typeface on the album cover of her third ...

three married couples makin’ adorable indie rock

The music of Honeytree flows like a low autumn river and casts images of children and parents playing near the bank while the sun shines down and the only thought you can have is one about existence itself.

huge, local-ish bookings at the House of Rock should cure your post-holiday blues

Christmas being over is frankly kind of a bummer. If you find yourself with a little more holiday blues than you’d like, we’re gonna go ahead and endorse the House of Rock as the place to get a few spare jollies before the winter doldrums ...

’90s alt group will stop to visit the State Theatre

Downtown Eau Claire will be receiving a very special treat early next month. As part of their 2014 national tour, ’90s rock group Rusted Root will be performing Jan. 9 at the State Theatre. The famed group has released seven studio albums ...

Words

UWEC lecturer examines lives of original Siamese twins

More than two centuries after their birth, Chang and Eng Bunker remain both enormously well-known and fundamentally unknowable. Reconciling these two facts was part of the challenge faced by Joseph Orser, a senior lecturer in history ...

Visual Art

As the art program at UW-Stout prepares for its 50th anniversary celebration next year, it’s only appropriate to announce its newest degree: a bachelor of fine arts in game design and development. Set to begin in the fall semester of 2015 ...

Christ Church Cathedral residency program houses, inspires local artists

Cathedrals are often a source of breathtaking art, whether it be depictions of events in the Bible through stained-glass windows or the architectural style of the building itself. When photographer Hope Greene and her husband came ...

ARTmobile offers opportunity to learn

The weather outside may be frightful, but it certainly won’t stop children from finding ways to get the creative juices flowing and learning about art. The Eau Claire Regional Arts Council hopes to do just that by encouraging children ...

Local Look

firefighter’s potentially life-saving concept wins Idea Challenge

For years, Jeff Dykes has had an idea – an idea he shared with numerous fellow firefighters in casual conversations, an idea he was frequently told was a good one. But despite its relative simplicity and enormous life-saving potential, the idea ...

The leaders of three universities in our corner of the state are pushing to create a shared program to meet what they say is a shortage of engineers in the region. UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire, and UW-River Falls have asked the UW System ...

Food / Drink

Pan Asia Kitchen offers transcontinental cuisine

If you’ve ever wanted to travel to Asia but didn’t have the time or money, let your taste buds do the traveling for you when you dine at Pan Asia Kitchen, an Asian culinary experience in Eau Claire. Located just off Birch Street next ...

Kid Culture

ARTmobile offers opportunity to learn

The weather outside may be frightful, but it certainly won’t stop children from finding ways to get the creative juices flowing and learning about art. The Eau Claire Regional Arts Council hopes to do just that by encouraging children ...

from the Great Depression to the 21st Century, the Flying Eagles Ski Club has been launching dreams for Chippewa Valley kids

For more than a century, Eau Claire has been a hotbed for devotees of the thrill-seeking Nordic sport of ski jumping – and for most of that time, the Flying Eagles Ski Club has been there to help young jumpers earn their wings. The dedicated ...

Recreation

from the Great Depression to the 21st Century, the Flying Eagles Ski Club has been launching dreams for Chippewa Valley kids

For more than a century, Eau Claire has been a hotbed for devotees of the thrill-seeking Nordic sport of ski jumping – and for most of that time, the Flying Eagles Ski Club has been there to help young jumpers earn their wings. The dedicated ...

“We have four Eau Claire natives, Flying Eagles members who are on the U.S. Ski Team and aiming for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, “ shared Zach Jastrow, a member of the Eau Claire Ski Club ..."

The Flying Eagles are the feeder club for the Eau Claire Ski Club, one of the oldest ski clubs in the nation who are known internationally their ski jumping tournament. This year’s 129th Annual Silver Mine Invitational will be Friday and ...

first-ever winter fest and games will warm up winter on Lake Altoona

Getting out and embracing a Wisconsin winter can mean a lot of things. There’s the beloved Midwestern pastime of ice fishing, of course. There’s cozying up for a game of cribbage, snowmobiling across the frigid landscape, or playing broomball ...